The present invention relates to thin, high density, glass fiber panels and, more specifically, to thin, high density, white or pale colored, glass fiber panels which are rigid enough to serve as structural members and useful as a backing for fabric covered office partitions and the like.
High density molded glass fiber boards having densities between seven and sixteen pounds per cubic foot and thicknesses between 1/8 and 3/16 of an inch are currently used as structural backings for fabric covered office partitions, wall coverings and the like. These high density, molded glass fiber boards are yellow in color and require relatively expensive, opaque facings to hide the yellow color of the boards and to provide the boards with a consistent uniform substantially white color for the end users who fabricate the boards into partitions, wall coverings and similar products. With their relatively expensive, opaque facings and fabric coverings, these molded board products present a pleasing, decorative appearance and serve to enhance the appearance of an office whether used in an office partition or as a wall covering to cover older plaster walls and the like.
In addition to the need to hide the yellow color of the molded boards with a relatively expensive, opaque facing, the use of such boards has presented another problem. Due to their high density, these boards are brittle and break in two when folded. Furthermore, while these boards are only about 1/8 to about 3/16 of an inch thick, these boards are typically four feet wide by eight to ten feet long. Accordingly, if these boards are not handled carefully, the narrow thickness of these boards combined with their large overall dimensions and brittle nature, make these molded boards susceptible to damage or breakage during shipment, handling and/or installation.